Photography: Sérgio Pedro Tiago
Do you think you need to be in a big city to run a successful start-up? Remote work has become increasingly popular even before the pandemic.
Ericeira was recently featured in the English magazine The Entrepeneurs, in an article entitled “All is Swell”, written by Gaia Lutz in this publication produced by the editors of the renowned Monocle, that carries news about entrepreneurship.
The old fishing village, located about 45 km from Lisbon, is a surfing mecca, famous for its world-class waves that have recently attracted more than just surfers and tourists: a growing number of entrepreneurs have been choosing this laid-back destination as the perfect base to raise a family and start a business.
Even before the pandemic, the World Surfing Reserve began to be increasingly sought after by those who wanted a place to settle down and make a living, but it was during this phase that there was an abrupt increase in the number of people whose work allowed them to work remotly during months of confinement. Now, most of these people are starting their own businesses and moving permanently, or are in negotiations with their employers to do so.
Luís Castro Henriques, CEO of AICEP – Agency for Investment and Portugal’s Foreign Trade –, revealed to “The Entrepreneurs” that there is a definite trend of new people discovering Portugal and settling here, seeing what the country has to offer and the respect it has for the entrepreneurial spirit. Luís Castro Henriques also mentioned the fact that Ericeira has a “very unique location: 30 minutes from an airport and with a beautiful view of the ocean”.
Near the end of the article, we find a question truly pertinent to the theme of entrepreneurship in the village: “How have start-ups in Ericeira been encouraged?”. The CEO of AICEP responds that a few years ago a technology visa was established that simplifies and speeds up all procedures for entrepreneurs in this sector coming from outside the European Union. With remote working becoming more and more a trend, regardless of the pandemic, Portugal can benefit a lot from this, and this could be a defining aspect of the growth of the village where the only World Surfing Reserve on the European continent is located.
In this article, three emblematic spots are also pointed out “that will prepare you for the sea”: Boardriders, Magic Quiver and Wavegliders.
Esta publicação também está disponível em | This article is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)
